Sotha Sil

Sotha Sil
Race	Dunmer Chimer (formerly)
Gender	Male
Eyes	Black
Birth	First Era
Death	3E 427
Homeland	Resdayn/Morrowind
Affiliation	Morrowind Clockwork City Isle of Artaeum ALMSIVI

For the city sometimes called Sotha Sil, see Clockwork City.

"I am Sotha Sil. I am the Mage. I am the Clockmaker."

―Sotha Sil

Lord Sotha Sil, sometimes referred to as Seht, was a member of the Tribunal, an architect of time, a binder of Oblivion, and the "Mystery of Morrowind". He is known by many other titles, such as the Clockwork God, Father of Mysteries, the Inspiration of Craft and Sorcery, the Light of Knowledge, Magus, Magician, Sorcerer, Tinkerer, and the "si" in Almsivi.

He was said to be reshaping the world from his hidden Clockwork City. Sotha Sil the Magus was one of the three God-like Kings of Morrowind, a Pillar of the Tribunal Temple, and the patron of artificers and wizards. Sotha Sil was the mightiest wizard and the wisest councilor of the First Council, and also spent time training the Psijic Order on Artaeum. He was the companion and teacher of Vivec and Nerevar. According to the Tribunal Temple Cult, Sotha Sil was the Light of Knowledge and the Inspiration of Craft and Sorcery, and Azura was the Anticipation of Sotha Sil.

History

Early life

Sotha Sil was born a Chimer to the small house of Sotha in Ald Sotha, Resdayn, now known as Morrowind. When he was a child, the young Sil was playing in a Kwama Egg Mine, throwing stones at small scribs for amusement. One scrib lifted its head up and begged Sotha Sil to stop, telling him that, for them, it was suffering and death when they were hit by the stones. This taught the young Chimer that what are idle amusements of one are solemn tortures for another. Accounts of his early life are few and limited.

Advisorship

At some point he became an advisor to Nerevar, his wife Almalexia, and his generals. During the first Battle of the Red Mountain, Sotha Sil helped drive the Nord people from Morrowind using his skills in sorcery, accompanied by Nerevar's forces and King Dumac's Dwemer army. After this the First Council was formed. During this time Sotha Sil was praised for his diplomatic skill and was known as the greatest wizard of his time. Tensions soon grew between the two races after High Tonal Architect Kagrenac secretly attempted to transcend the Dwemer race to godhood. Due to this Nerevar declared war on the entire Dwemer and the War of the First Council began. During the war Sotha Sil was named a general of the chimer army and alongside Vivec, Nerevar and Almalexia battled king Dumac and Kagrenac in the bowels of the Red Mountain. During this battle Dumac was killed. Kagrenac used Keening, Sunder and Wraithguard on the Heart of Lorkhan, making the entire Dwemer race vanish off the face of Nirn.

War of the First Council

A sketch of Sotha Sil (left) during the death of Nerevar at the alleged hands of the Tribunal.

After the Battle of Red Mountain, Sotha Sil learned how to use Kagrenac's Tools so that a mortal could tap the divine power within the Heart and turn himself or herself into a god. Nerevar forbade this divine manipulation and forced the Tribunal to make an oath not to use it. Nerevar then entrusted Kagrenac's tools to Voryn Dagoth (who would later become Dagoth Ur) while he and his advisors convened on what to do with the Heart of Lorkhan. When Sotha Sil, Vivec and Almalexia returned to lock the tools away from the world, Voryn, who had been corrupted by the heart, refused to give Kagrenac's Tools to Nerevar. He believed that he was entrusted to hold them and, in his madness, attacked Nerevar and his companions. During this battle Nerevar was killed and Dagoth Ur retreated into the bowels of the Red Mountain.

"Thieves? An interesting concept. Did we steal the essence of the Divine, or was it given to us freely, that we might lead our people into a new age?"

―Sotha Sil

The death of Nerevar caused the Tribunal to make use of the Heart for the good of their people, the Chimer. They went to Red Mountain, and used the tools to transform themselves into gods. Azura cursed them for breaking their oath to Nerevar and establishing a new religion by forsaking any connection with the Daedra. During this confrontation Sotha Sil taunted Azura, telling her that the Chimer did not need the Daedra anymore. Enraged by the Tribunal's betrayal, Azura cursed almost the entire Chimer race. From that moment on, the Chimer were known as the Dunmer, their skin turned black, and their eyes turned red.

Time in the Isles and making Pacts with Daedra

During the end of the First Era, at 1E 2920, Sotha Sil spent some time on the Isle of Artaeum and as a member of the Psijic Order, taught some of the new mages in sorcery and all forms of magic.

After a daedric disaster at the village of Gliverdale (caused by Molag Bal), Sotha Sil at the urging of Almalexia journeyed into Oblivion via The Dreaming Cave, and issued a meeting in Coldharbour with the eight most prominent Daedric Princes: Molag Bal, Boethiah, Azura, Hircine, Hermaeus Mora, Malacath, Sheogorath, and Mehrunes Dagon. Although the exact terms of the pact are unknown to most of the inhabitants of Tamriel, what is known is that the Princes had agreed not to answer any summoning by any amateurs until the war between Morrowind and the Reman Empire ended. Only the Psijics could counsel with the daedra, along with a few nomadic sorcerers and witches.

Sack of Mournhold

The ruins of Old Mournhold

"Few called us thieves when by words and by rite the Princes of Oblivion were bound to a truce. Fewer still when Mehrunes Dagon broke that truce and himself was broken on the soil of Mournhold."

―Sotha Sil

Sotha Sil's pact with the Daedric Princes failed to prevent the destruction of Mournhold, as a Dunmer witch named Turala managed to summon Mehrunes Dagon, and asked for the destruction of Mournhold. Sotha Sil and Almalexia were too late to prevent the destruction, but after fighting countless hordes of Dremora they managed to banish the prince of destruction back to Oblivion. Although Mehrunes Dagon had been defeated Mournhold had all but been destroyed. During this time Vivec was said to have rescued Sotha Sil from his home of Ald Sotha, after the prince of destruction destroyed the house.

War with the Reman Empire

During the war with the Reman Empire, the Tribunal used many tactics previously used during the war between the Chimer and the Dwemer which seemed to work in the beginning. However, due to the Reman Empires superior forces and under the command of the Tsaesci general Savirien Chorak, the Dunmer people had no choice but to surrender. During this time Sotha Sil helped form a treaty to allow the Dunmer to keep their laws and customs intact without having to change the Dunmer’s way of life.

The Three Banners War

Dunmer Crest of the Ebonheart Pact.

"Wizard. Mystic. Master of the Clockwork City. An architect of time and a binder of Oblivion. One who masters the tools that mastered others."

―Servant of Sotha Sil

During the Three Banners War and Molag Bal's invasion of Tamriel, in the city of Ebonheart the people of the city turned to Disciple Sildras for comfort due to an expected attack by the Daggerfall Covenant. Sildras however had began to lose faith in the Tribunal's protection of the city. This wasn't until the Vestige came and at Sildras's urging prayed at the shrines to the three gods. During this time, the Vestige encountered the Servant of Sotha Sil, an apparition sent by the god to communicate with his worshippers.

Varen Aquilarios also warned the Vestige that a war involving the Daedric Princes would occur when Sotha Sil opened the gates to his Clockwork City.

Troubles of the Tribunal and return of Dagoth Ur

The Heart of Lorkhan

"You toy with the minds of these curious mortals. The Tools of Kagrenac in your possession? I think not. Were you to have them, I would fear for your life. They are not tools for mortals, Fyr, as you well know."

―Sotha Sil

In 3E 417, Almalexia and Sotha Sil visited the Red Mountain for their annual divine bath. The reawakened leaders of the Sixth House and Dagoth Ur ambushed them and stole two of Kagrenac's Tools, Keening and Sunder.

Vivec rescued Almalexia and Sotha Sil, but failing to recover Keening and Sunder, the Tribunal retreated from Red Mountain in disorder. The Tribunal grew weaker without access to the Heart. During this time a citizen of the empire bearing the signs of Nerevar reincarnated appeared. This citizen continued to exhibit more and more of the specific criteria of the Nerevarine, and eventually rallied the three great houses Hlaalu, Redoran, and Telvanni and defeated Dagoth Ur while severing the Heart from the mortal plane.

Later Life and Death

Sotha Sil's corpse

"He spoke not a word when he died, not a whisper. Even in death he mocked me with his silence!"

―Almalexia

Later in life, it is believed that Sotha Sil grew weary of mortal imperfections, and retired to his Clockwork City. It is here where he reshaped life—some say the world—into an image he found pleasing.

Sotha Sil died at the hands of his long-time friend and fellow Tribunal member, Almalexia. In madness, she, after losing her godhood due to the releasing of the Heart of Lorkhan by the Nerevarine, transported herself to the Clockwork City by using Barilzar's Mazed Band and slew him. Even as he died, he kept his silence, much to the chagrin and further provocation of Almalexia. His burnt, limbless corpse can be found in The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal.

Post Mortem

Initially, no one believed the Nerevarine when they told them about Sotha Sil and Almalexia's death, other then Helseth Hlaalu, Barenziah, and Vivec. After the collapse of the Tribunal temple, Sotha Sil was renamed a saint, alongside Vivec and Almalexia in the New Temple religion, and was believed to be either dead or have disappeared by the citizens of Morrowind.

Personality

In life, Sotha Sil, spent time counseling, guiding, and protecting mortals, and was known to love them perhaps more than either Vivec or Almalexia. Sotha Sil was said to have felt the stress of each of his people, but gave them no more load than he knew they could bear. He was close to Almalexia and Vivec as Vivec called him a "brother" during his conversations with the Nerevarine and when Almalexia arrived on the Artaeum she embraced Sotha Sil when she saw him. Eventually, He became almost completely detached from the real world after the loss of sunder and keening. He slowly lost touch with the affairs of the Dunmer, the rest of his fellow Tribunal, and eventually all of Tamriel. He was also later said to go mad.

Appearance

In 1E 2920 Sotha Sil had the appearance of a Dunmer in a white cloak, but by 3E 427 had his lower body replaced by machinery, with multiple wires and cords keeping him held up.

Gallery

Servant of Sotha Sil

A full model of Sotha Sil's statue in Clockwork City

Enigma of Sotha Sil

Trivia

• Fa-Nuit-Hen says that he, along with the Baron Who Moves Like Heat Lightning, fought alongside Sotha Sil against the "Borers from Within" and "The Hinged Ones".

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (mentioned only)
  • The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (mentioned only)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (mentioned only)
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn (mentioned only)
• The Elder Scrolls Online (mentioned only)
  • The Elder Scrolls Online: Orsinium (mentioned only)